Personal musings on Israel, Jewish matters, history and how they all affect each other

Monday, May 26, 2008

Land for Peace

According to Haaretz, a Palestinian source close to the negotiations tells that Israel has offered 91.5% of the West Bank to the Palestinians, and an additional land swap of Israeli territory, all of this not counting Jerusalem. The Palestinian says the maximal amount of West Bank territory they're willing to accept under Israeli sovereignty is 1.8%.

I don't think any of this is particularly important, since any future agreement will have different numbers. The reason I'm linking is to bookmark the item. In the future, when the violence returns and the negotiations again collapse, the Israel bashers will all tell about how Israel's avarice was the source of all evil, and the thirst of the settlers for ever more land. None of them will ever mention that even according to Palestinian sources, Israel was willing to hand over more than 90% of the territory after removing the settlers from it. Given the size of the West Bank, the argument is over something like 170 square miles, - say, the size of Washington DC and part of Bethesda. Such is the extent of the evil colonial Israeli avarice that fuels this endless conflict, if you wish to believe it.